1. Field of the Invention
The invention(s) relate(s) to gun ports useful in defense of armored vehicles and armored buildings, and in particular to gun ports with armored and blast-resistant doors that are weather sealed, and to gun ports with doors that both translate into and out of a closed position over a gun-port opening and roll out of the way of the gun-port opening along one or more guide rails.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gun ports are well known in the art for both military and non-military application. A gun port permits discharge of a fire arm or other weapon through an opening defined within the gun port whenever the gun port is in an open position. The gun port secures the port against passage of a bullet or other unwanted object whenever the gun port is in a closed position. Typically gun ports include a door as a closure shield secured on either an interior or exterior surface of a support apparatus such as an exterior wall of an armored vehicle or the exterior wall of a building. The door is often actuated by hand by an operator of the gun port standing or sitting next to an interior surface of the support apparatus, such as inside the armored vehicle or building. Examples of the prior art in gun ports are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,672; 4,771,673; and 6,425,311. In all three of these examples, the door consists of a single plate of metal. The first example discloses a door (or “closure plate”) that is a single plate that is slid upward to open, and downward to close. The second example discloses a door (or “closure”) that is a single plate that is pivoted inward and downward to open, and upward and outward to close. The third example discloses a door (or “closure shield”) that is a single plate mounted on the outside of the exterior wall and that rotates parallel to the wall in a first rotational direction to open, and in the reverse direction to close.
The prior art does not disclose gun ports designed to withstand explosive blasts from military or terrorist threats. The prior art also does not disclose means to seal a gun-port door closure from leaking fluids such as rain water through the seams between the door and its port, and at the same time permit an operator carrying weaponry to quickly open and shut the gun-port door with a nudge of a forearm, upper arm, or heal or back of a hand. What are needed are gun ports that can withstand explosive blasts, and at the same time are constructed of preassembled subassemblies that enable easy installation and replacement, that seal tightly against water leaks, and that can be quickly and easily opened without requiring a firm hand grip on the door or door handle.